A woman on TikTok has shared distressing footage of her allegedly being groped at a grocery store this week, in an effort to warn women to be aware of their surroundings.
Shared by Daisy Delacroix, a woman who works as a bikini barista and Only Fans model in California (per her Twitter account), the viral TikTok has been liked by over 200,000 people.
It shows Delacroix perusing the frozen meats section of her local Grocery Outlet supermarket in Redwood City, California. She is wearing gym shorts and sports bra - appropriate for the California weather, which was recording temperatures of up to 81-86°F this week.
Per the video, a man in a zip up hoodie and dark jeans suddenly comes up behind Delacroix, grabbing her from behind and appearing to say something in Delacroix's ear. She jumps in shock, before wheeling her trolley away.
Delacroix added a caption to her video and a text to voiceover, which stated: "Today after work I was grocery store shopping and, as you can see in this video, this man walks up from behind, touches my butt, and whispers in my ear 'What's up baby?'
"I was in complete shock. Ladies please be careful of your surroundings. I did not know this man and he tried to play it off," the voiceover warned.
Sadly, the distressing situation did not stop there, after the comments section became a hive of activity, with users commenting polarized views on whether Delacroix was to blame or not.
One user commented: "Why are you wearing that at the store?" while another seemed to reference Delacroix's job as a bikini barista, writing: "Maybe he recognized you from where you work [laughing emoji]."
However, the positive comments and messages of support outweighed the misogynistic trolling, with one man commenting: "Fellas, there is a RIGHT way to approach a woman, be a gentleman and start with hello. Everybody has a preference, you might not be [hers]. Stay safe."
"This has NOTHING to do with your outfit. It's all his own doing. He's an adult and knows right from wrong. I'm so sorry this happened to you."
Several other media outlets have covered the story, managing to objectify Delcroix by referring to her outfit choice during the assault or her job as clickbait for their headlines - including "model in crop top" and "bikini barista" in their titles.
These, coupled with the disturbing comments alluding to Delacroix's reasonable decision to wear summer gym attire to the supermarket, bring to light the larger issues of women's safety and victim shaming in the context of sexual assault.
Unfortunately, it seems sexual assault survivors still face harsh judgment and criticism when coming forward with their experiences. However, clothing or career choices alone don't serve as an invitation for sexual assault.
